Norma Teran saw a need in Fresno County, California, for an
employment agency that specialized in part-time and temporary
dental personnel. After preparing a business plan, she determined
she'd have to borrow $5,000 to finance her venture.

With business plan in hand, Teran visited the Valley Small
Business Development Corp. in Fresno. "Getting a microloan was
a snap," says the veteran dental assistant. "They helped
me complete the paperwork that day, and 45 days later, I had the
money." Teran bought furniture, supplies, a computer and
software, using the balance of the loan for operating capital and
marketing expenses. Today, she's celebrating the first
anniversary of Dental Team Coordinator, serving Fresno and Kings
counties from her home office in Sanger, California.

Like 34 other private, nonprofit organizations across the
country selected by the Small Business Administration (SBA), Valley
Small Business Development Corp. lends to small and start-up
businesses that can't get loans from most banks, says Elizabeth
Fields, management and technical assistant loan specialist for the
Fresno agency.

Microloans ranging from about $100 to $25,000 have terms of up
to six years and are available to all types of business owners,
though some agencies target specific groups, such as women,
low-income or minority entrepreneurs. For the microloan
intermediary nearest you, call your local SBA office.

Paul De Ceglie is a former staff reporter for Journal of
Commerce and American Banker. He can be reached at MrWritePDC@aol.com.

Fiscal Fitness

"Put and call options" aren't obscure football
plays, and "Treasury bills" aren't invoices from the
government. Unfamiliar with such terms? Competence Software Inc.
has a new CD-ROM called Investment Competence that spells out
virtually everything you need to know to invest for retirement.

Ideal for small-business owners new to investments, the
interactive CD promises a thorough, basic education in seven easy
lessons. "People can't rely on Social Security to finance
their retirement years," says Larry Brennan, vice president of
the Pittsfield, New Hampshire, firm, "but most are
ill-equipped to make informed decisions on investing retirement
funds. Competence Software provides the education needed to help
achieve a worry-free financial future."

Brennan says the $99 multimedia tutorial "covers everything
from market and financial terms to various [investment] instruments
and how to use them.

The tutorial ends by helping you prepare a financial plan
tailored to your goals, administering a quiz to test your learning,
and notifying Competence Software when you've earned a
certificate of completion.

On Account

End collection problems before they start with the
straightforward advice in Ed Halloran's newest book, Credit
and Collection Letters Ready to Go! (NTC Business Books,
$14.95, 800-323-4900).

Halloran presents dozens of readily adaptable letters (you just
fill in the blanks) designed to exact payment from deadbeats. More
important, he shares cogent insights on how to avoid such deadbeats
in the first place. "Learn as much as possible about the
people and businesses to whom you grant credit," he urges,
"and walk away from anyone refusing to provide a financial
statement, credit bureau report, copies of tax returns, and banking
and personal references."

A reporter and former credit investigator, Halloran cautions
start-ups in particular: "Don't be humbly grateful to
those who provide business to you. Too often, new business owners
are so thrilled to get an order, they don't check out [the
client]."

Should your courteous yet increasingly firm letters fail to
elicit payment, Halloran advises retaining an attorney. "I
have no qualms about paying attorneys' fees," he says.
"After you've written it off as a bad debt, anything
recovered goes to the bottom line. So let an attorney pursue it
while you're out generating more business."